Whitefly infestations are increasing around southwest Florida, according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline. Higher numbers of adults and immatures are being observed in older tomato plants. Populations are also reported to be transient in isolated locations, depending on wind direction. Pressure is also high in squash and cucumbers. Whitefly pressure is anywhere from low to moderate in …
Dry Conditions Worsen in Some Areas
By Clint Thompson Certain areas of the Southeast continue to feel the sting of lingering dry conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Florida Panhandle is especially abnormally dry. Conditions are worsening in Northwest Florida where Escambia County and Santa Rose County are classified in a moderate drought. Abnormally dry conditions stretch eastward to Nassau County and Duval County …
New Normal? Florida Tomato Producers Using Non-Wooden Stakes
By Clint Thompson The ongoing supply chain crisis forced many Florida tomato producers to consider non-wooden stakes for their plants this year. Gene McAvoy, University of Florida/IFAS Regional Vegetable Extension Agent IV Emeritus, said growers have said they are more expensive, but they are available. “This whole supply chain thing, wooden stakes are coming out of Central America and South …
Blueberry Market Trends and Implications for Growers
By Kimberly L. Morgan The U.S. commercial blueberry industry value of utilized production was $933 million in 2020. An unchanging trend since 1970, the U.S. consumer continues to eat less than 40% of the federal dietary guidelines of fruits and vegetables [U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 2021] and only 12% meet fruit intake requirements (Seung Hee Lee-Kwan et al., 2017). …
Few Slots Remain Open for Executive Farm Management Program
By Frank Giles The Executive Farm Management program, offered by North Carolina (N.C.) State Extension, Clemson Cooperative Extension, East Carolina University College of Business and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, is set to begin on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Blake Brown, an Extension economist with N.C. State, said there’s still time to sign up for the program. Interested growers should act …
2022 SE Regional Conference Event Helps Producers Move Forward
The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference was just what the doctor ordered for growers yearning to reconnect with fellow farmers and look ahead to the upcoming season. “We are pleased with the continued attendance for this event,” said Drew Echols, Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) president. “After our virtual event in 2021, it was encouraging to see our …
Alabama Extension Offering Peach Insect, Disease Management Chart
Alabama Extension is offering a Peach Insect and Disease Management Chart for peach producers. The tool is a resource growers can carry with them and help manage insects during certain tree cycles. It includes the most common insect pests, including scale, European red mite, lesser peachtree borer and thrips. It also includes what management options growers have for prevention of …
Harvests, Sanitation Key to Preventing Yeast Rot in Blueberries
By Clint Thompson Timely harvests and sanitation practices are two ways blueberry growers can avoid yeast rot becoming a major problem in 2022. The disease devastated South Georgia’s rabbiteye blueberries in 2020. Phil Harmon, professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Florida, says there’s not a viable chemical option for farmers to implement. Management will have to involve …
Hops Future in North Carolina? N.C. State Researcher Optimistic
By Clint Thompson The potential of new high-yielding hops varieties has N.C. State Associate Professor and Extension specialist Jeanine Davis optimistic about the crop’s future in North Carolina. “The growers are very excited because these yields are as high, and in some cases, higher than yields we’re often seeing in say Michigan and New York,” Davis said. “I think if …
Better Now Than Later: Vidalia Onions Should Recover After Wind Damage
By Clint Thompson High wind speeds a week ago bruised some of Georgia’s Vidalia onion plants. Fortunately, it happened now as opposed to two months later closer to harvest. That’s the feeling shared by Chris Tyson, University of Georgia Extension Area Onion Agent at the Vidalia Onion & Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Georgia. “That bruising where the onions got …